1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to maintaining user identity privacy over a wireless local area network and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to maintaining privacy of user equipment communicating via Inter-working Wireless Local Area Network (I-WLAN).
2. History of Related Art
Inter-working Wireless Local Area Network (I-WLAN) is a feature of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) that allows a wireless LAN network to be interconnected with a 3GPP system. In I-WLAN, user identity privacy (i.e., user anonymity) is used to avoid sending any clear text permanent subscriber identification information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI)) that could compromise the user's identity and location on a radio interface or allow different communications of the same user on the radio interface to be linked. User identity privacy is based on temporary identities (i.e., pseudonyms or re-authentication identities). The reception of temporary identity occurs at Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) authentication. For purposes of this patent application, a WLAN user equipment (WLAN UE) is user equipment capable of inter-working with WLAN.
The actions that a WLAN UE must perform upon receipt of temporary identity/identities due to user identity privacy are currently unspecified. Moreover, where the temporary identity/identities are to be stored (e.g, UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) or mobile equipment (ME)) has not been standardized.